Remote baggage screening system, software and method

• US 20070195994A1
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Security and Detection Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Security and Detection Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Huang, Ying, Whitson, Andrea, Dawson, Craig, McClelland, Keith
• Application Number:
  US11/700,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20070195994A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/368 Arrangements or installations for routing, distributing or loading baggage
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 5/271 using a network, e.g. a remote expert, accessing remote data or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method of advance baggage screening includes steps of transmitting a threat file corresponding to an item under inspection to a processing center, analyzing the threat file according to a detection algorithm at the processing center to determine a screening result for the item under inspection, and transmitting the screening result to a remotely located operator interface for access by an operator.

Claims

1. An explosive detection system comprising:

a scanning device that scans an object and generates information about the object from the scan; and

an external apparatus, located remotely from the device, that receives the information and enables a threat determination to be made about the object from the information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the device includes a CT scanner.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the device includes a dual energy X-ray scanner.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the device includes a combination dual energy X-ray and CT scanner.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the external apparatus is a computer that implements an algorithm to make the threat determination.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the external apparatus includes a display device enabling a human operator to make a threat determination.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the information includes that from which a density and a mass of the object can be determined by the computer.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the information includes that from which a density and a mass of the object can be determined by the computer.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the information includes that from which a density and a mass of the object can be determined by the computer.

10. A method for making a threat determination about an object comprising:

scanning the object with an explosive detection device;

generating information about the object from the scan;

transmitting the information to an external apparatus, located remotely from the device; and

making a threat determination about the object.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of scanning includes the step of performing a computed tomography scan with a CT scanner.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of scanning includes the step of performing a high energy and a low energy scan using a dual energy X-ray scanner.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of scanning includes performing a high and low energy X-ray scan and a computed tomography scan using a combination dual energy X-ray and CT scanner.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the information includes that from which a density and a mass of the object can be determined by the computer.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the apparatus includes a computer and the step of making includes the computer implementing an algorithm to make an automatic threat determination.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of making includes a human expert making a threat determination based on the information.